Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
scott@scottlongonline.com
What a scandalous headline! Let me explain myself before the death threats. Yeah, I’m talking to you, Bill Crystal. In the current climate where if you ever used steroids you cannot make the Hall of Fame, let me offer up my contrarian view. My standards are to reward players who did everything they could to become a better player. Sure these players cut corners to possibly become more accomplished at their craft, but think about the sacrifice they made to be the best they could be.
And then there was Mickey Mantle. As physically talented of a player that has ever stepped on the diamond, Mantle seemed destined to be the greatest to ever put on a uniform. While it is obvious that injuries derailed some of his physical talents, who knows how much drinking played a part in him not reaching the levels that an Aaron or Mays reached. The legendary drinking stories reached mythic proportions, as Mickey was the ultimate leader of the boozing and carousing pinstripers of the 50’s and 60’s.
I realize that this is a major contrarian view, but ethically I believe it is a more moral stance to do everything it takes to be better, even if you are taking an illegal drug than to overuse a legal one that impacts on the field performance in a negative way. Sure Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are disagreeable men, with a spotty record in dealing with the public and the press. Well I can guarantee that Mantle would’ve stood no chance surviving the New York sports piranhas (writers) glare, if he would have played in current times. Deadspin would probably have to have its own satellite site just focused on the Mick. If you thought ARod having a fling in Toronto was news, do some research on Mantle's off the field exploits. It makes ARod look like A.C. Green.
One of the most difficult challenges one could ask for would be to debate Bob Costas on the subject of baseball. I would love to discuss this particular topic with him, though, as Costas has been such a severe critic of steroids, while joining in the hero-worship business of the Mick. Despite Mantle trying to sabotage his natural ability, he still ended up with first ballot Hall of Fame numbers. My bigger point is that the steroids era is lot more complicated than what the general public believes which is a few players obtained great benefits by using PED’s, while most of the players were clean.
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On a similarly related topic, Don Hooton is all over the TV pushing the story about how steroid use by pro athletes will lead to death for many high schoolers who emulate them. I’ve never used steroids and wouldn’t recommend them to anyone, let alone someone who is under 18, but the incidents of steroids killing kids is really small. Now if you want to look at a set of troubling stats, look at alcohol related deaths for the under 18 set. Alcohol-related advertising is a key component of what you see at the game or on TV. I cannot imagine how devastating the loss of a child is and my hearts aches for Mr. Hooton, but let’s have some perspective here. While steroids use is a problem for young people, there are far more serious issues that we should be focusing our attention on.
(And yes, I'm a die hard Yankees fan & I'm not suggesting they be thrown out.)
Since I have a libertarian view on drugs like steroids, I rate their use as being about on the level of going more than 10 miles above the speed limit. It probably is worse, as you are risking other people's lives. If you are an adult and used drugs, buyer beware.
Ephesians 5:18 ftw!!
And the "see how ridiculous this sounds, therefore, the steroid thing is ridiculous too" is pretty tired and a very weak argument, too. No one ever said that alcohol was a benefit to playing performance. Despite the fact that no one has proven steroids to be any kind of help, that's why they are taking them, because they certainly might be. No one ever drank alcohol to play better. So again, what's the point of this comparison? That the media today is more intense and unforgiving? Whoa. Really?
Do you seriously believe this, or are you just using it to point a finger at the poor hawkish steroid arguments? There are definitely stronger arguments. Maddux and Boggs' lasik surgery, that the good players were just greedy and wanted to be BETTER players, that the majority of steroid users were grasping just to MAKE it (I mean, look at some of those names - F.P. Santangelo?), and it doesn't really affect the records of folks like Mays and Frank Thomas and Hank Aaron.
I mean, if you really think this, more power to you. But if it's a debate tactic, meh.
Matthew Bellamy would not be impressed. ;-)
4 Josh, steroids did nothing to help Jose Canseco stay on the field (I believe he had maybe one 150 game season in his career); the unlearned lesson regarding PED's is that they do different things for different people. Paul Byrd certainly doesn't look like the Hulk to me.
Secondly,
6 I'm in favor of banning bans, but that ain't gonna happen. Alcohol isn't a problem so much as alcohol abuse is. Two tylenol might help your headache but 62 pills----well, not so much.
Ok, and thirdly, I've held the believe for years now that the 'steroid' issue is just another example of the historical impulse for former players (and the kiss-asses that love them---I'm talking to you Costas) to slag the guys who currently play the game. Cobb ripped Ruth. Dimaggio ripped Mantle. Jim Bunning rips everyone.
These haters of baseball focus exclusively on the problems of today while glossing over the problems of their favorite era. Pretending to be 'guardians of the game' these killjoys like Costas don't even like baseball, they like an idolized version of baseball that never really existed.
Bastards.
Now, I am in favor of legalization, but think that any pro sport could (& should) ban steroids, HGH, and probably other things. I'd like to be able to compare players across the years without having to factor in yet another variable -- PEDs.
I just don't like all the holier-than-thou moralizing coming from some quarters. (I don't even want to think about a Bill Plaschke column)
The other element of why I brought up alcohol is the moralizing that is going on about "saving the kids", when all major sports are completely tied into beer distributors. It isn't called BALCO Field, it's called Busch Stadium. Alcohol is the drug that impacts underage kids lives to a mammoth degree compared to steroids. I drank plenty before I was 21 and even though I knew where steroids could be found, I didn't take them because it was a lot easier to go down to the corner store to get my liquid buzz on.
I am not discussing prohibition here, I'm just trying to point out a rationale counter-argument to what is being disseminated all across the airwaves, internet, and fishwraps.
Now that the curtain has been pulled open and we can begin to see the diverse collection of players who were using, fans need to contemplate more than just what they hear from the hysterical moralizers.
Good point.
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